


Promises, promises

by lizette_antoinette



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 21:38:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6537235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizette_antoinette/pseuds/lizette_antoinette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nakatani considers his 40-year-old self a rather strange choice for a teenage crush and he sure as hell isn't making any promises. But on the other hand Ōtsubo is the kind of guy who can do it, if he puts his mind to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises, promises

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this one for quite some time now. Don't know why I find Nakatani to be such a sexy ojisan. I just do. Actually I've been craving some Kagetora/Nakatani middle-aged canoodling since I first saw them side by side, but that story is.. well, let's just say it's still in the making. Meanwhile, please enjoy whatever this is.

-xo-

Nakatani isn't sure how this happened. In his rather lengthy career as a coach this would be a first. Honestly, what does one even _do_ to make half his basketball team suddenly turn gay? And most importantly, what does one do with that half afterwards?

  
Now that he thinks back on it, it all must have started with Takao and Midorima getting caught canoodling in the changing room by the rest of the team. Twice. Soon afterwards the gay gene seemed to spread through the club like wildfire. Before Nakatani knew it, boys were leaving love notes in each other's lockers, Kimura was eyeing Miyaji as if he was a desert lost on its way to the cafeteria, and Ōtsubo... oh, Ōtsubo!

It's in the midst of the hectic preparations for the Winter Cup, when Nakatani notices it for the first time. Ōtsubo is staying behind after practice to talk strategy just a tad more often than necessary, so Nakatani has this stray, half-amusing half-mortifying thought, that _maybe_ \- . There is however no time to pry into this any further, so he just lets it be.

Which is a mistake, of course.

Having graduated from Nakatani’s very own character-building school of "get things done, or die trying", the boy doesn't really wait for the opportunities to come knocking on his door. Nakatani can't even say he's all that surprised when Ōtsubo corners him in the teacher's office one fine evening after practice with sweaty palms that he tries to wipe off on his uniform and a deadly serious look on his face.

Nakatani watches the boy, who's got good five inches and a dozen pounds of muscle on him, go completely beetroot red.

Watches him stutter.

Finally, watches him confess.

Then they are both quiet for a very long time. The whole school is quiet. There is nobody left there. Nakatani is highly aware of Ōtsubo's hammering heartbeats, his burning embarrassment, the hell he must be going through. Well, _about to go through_ , anyway.  
Says, very carefully, "Ōtsubo-kun..." And doesn't know what else to say.

Because how do you say ‘no’ to a boy this serious, this sincere, without taking that beating heart of his, slamming it onto the floor and stomping on it before handing it back to him on a platter? Do you yell? Do you apologize? _How the hell is he supposed to know?_ And it's not like this isn't touching, or flattering, because god knows it is. It's been well over five year since his divorce and Nakatani can't remember last time someone looked at him like that. Isn't sure there was ever such a time. It's just,.. the timing might be right, but this cast of characters…

“Ōtsubo-kun,..” He says again.

Ōtsubo’s flushed face grows pale with every second of their heavy silence.

“I understand,” he says finally, quiet, but solemn. “I am sorry for troubling you, Sensei.”

Nakatani watches him leave with a mixture of relief and pity.

~tbc~


End file.
